Introduction

Every parish in England had a Census in 1841; and then every 10 years thereafter.

The 1841 Census recorded the name of the head of each household, as well as each other person living with him, giving ages to the nearest 5 years, and showing brief details of professions. Subsequent Censuses (1851 onwards) gave more and more information.

There were no street names or house numbers in Draycot Cerne and Sutton Benger until the 1950s, and the Census Enumerators did not necessarily have a plan as to how they listed the households. The ways in which they were recorded certainly vary from Census to Census. The majority of households are often shown simply as being in ‘Draycot’ or in ‘Sutton’; exceptions were the clergy, and prominent farmers. However, a good guess for where other families lived can often be made by comparing to the Tithe Schedule or to the Estate Surveys, or by extrapolating back from later Censuses whcih provided more details.

Draycot Cerne

Each Census only records the the people in residence overnight at a particular house on a particular date; so the 1841 Census (the night of Sunday 6 June) shows that the only people in residence at Draycot House were two servants.

On the other hand, it shows how big the old Draycot Rectory was - there were 17 people in residence overnight: Reverend Barry and his immediate family, plus extended family, plus servants. By comparing Censuses it is possible to work out that Reverend Barry's wife Elizabeth was the daughter of Daniel Coller King from Sutton Benger; Daniel had recently died, and his mother Elizabeth was now living with the Reverend Barry and his family.

The 1851 Census (night of Sunday 30 March) shows ages to the nearest year, as well as the details of where they were born. (The 1841 Census only recorded whether they were born in Wiltshire or not.) It is interesting to note that the schoolmaster, William Davies, had been born in Draycot Cerne, but his wife Lydia had been born in Pillerton, Warwickshire; there's obviously a fascinating story to be uncovered there by the keen family historian.

The format of the 1861 Census (the night of 7 April) was the same as that for 1851; however, it included the additional information that John Hillier was the farmer at Lake Farm. Previously, the only other farm that was specifically named was Nabals. It is possible to extrapolate from other records to place specific farmers at specifc farms, but it is not possible to identify the locations of all of the 81 residents of the parish.

Sutton Benger

The 1841 Census for Sutton Benger throws up some interesting questions when comparing it with the 1839 Tithe. In 1839, Thomas Webb was living at the 'old corner shop' (No 1 Seagry Road) and in 1841 he is shown as a blacksmith; so does this mean that he had a forge at 1 Seagry Road? And James Watson was a plumber in 1839-1841, and was at the corner of the High Street and Sutton Lane (No 5 Sutton Lane). But that house definitely became a blacksmith's shop through the rest of the 1800s (and is known today as Forge Cottage).

(James Watson and No 5 Sutton Lane also appear in the archives because in March 1839 he registered his house 'for occasional worship' - ie, as a Protestant (possibly Methodist) Meeting House.)

Nearly all addresses in 1841 are simply shown as 'Sutton'. The few exceptions include the three houses on the west side of Sutton Lane. (Charles Butler, the doctor, is also shown as 'Sutton Lane' but we know from other evidence that the Enumerator made a mistake here; he was certainly living at No 50 High Street - where his daughters continued to live until the early 1900s. We also know that Thomas Ferris was the farmer at Sutton Lane Farm, and that Isaac Harding was at Heath Farm; previously called 'New Farm', this was later to become known as Harding's Farm (north of the M4, now in the parish of Seagry).

In 1851 George Bull was the landlord of the newly-renamed Wellesley Arms, and The Bell was no longer an inn. Living there was a second doctor, Charles Edwards; it remained the home of the village doctor for about 100 years. George Marsh was the vicar, and living with him were his wife, his mother, his sister and a nephew, plus 4 servants; one of the servants was accompanying his mother, and one was accompanying his sister. Georgiana, his sister, was the wife of the Revd Prothero, Curate of Chippenham.

The 1861 Census identifies some specific houses, such as the Turnpike House (opposite Gate Cottage). In the Census it was followed by Charles Pomroy at 'Draper's Shop, High Street', which is evidently what Gate Cottage was at the time. John Vines was the farmer at Gate Farm.

Thomas Ellery was a baker on the High Street, possibly at No 22/24. There was also a butcher's, a grocer's and a post office on the High Street, as well as another bakery on Park Lane. The Hull family emporium on Seagry Road was now a 'Wine & Spirit Merchant's Shop' and there was a second Turnpike House adjacent to the school.

Do you want to know more about your Sutton Benger / Draycot Cerne ancestors in the 1800s, or about your house? Please get in touch.

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